Famous places of Lord Ganesha
Three and a half seats (piths) of Ganapati
| No | Name | Place | District |
| 1 | Moreshvar, Mayureshvar | Morgaon | Pune |
| 2 | Mangalmurti | Chinchvad | Pune |
| 3 | Mahaganapati | Rajur | Jalna |
| 4 | PravaLganesh (half a seat) | Padmalay | Jalgaon |
Eight Vinayaks (Ashtavinayaks) in Maharashtra
There are many important and famous places of Lord Ganesha all over the world. Among these some places are more powerful & important than the others. There are eight such powerful places, which are called as Ashtavinayaka. These eight place are in India in the state of Maharashtra. A lot of importance is given to these places in India and in Hindu religion. The incarnation stories of these Ganeshas are ancient, the places are also ancient. Some of the temples are built recently. Among these, few are rebuilt in Madhavrao Peshwas period. The idols of Ashtavinayaka are self-existent. They are installed in the temples as they were found. Each idol is an incarnation of Lord Ganesha. There are some mythological stories giving the importance of each Ganesha (idol). These stories tell us about why and how these idols of Ganesha got their names and came into existance. The idols are not beautiful like the man made ones but the self-existent appearance of then does please the devotees.
The eight Vinayaks are famous. The eight powers (ashta-siddhi) are the consorts of Ganapati. Each of the eight Vinayaks have become famous as being representative of one power. The eight Vinayaks are also associated with the eight directions.
The mangalashtaka (poetic lines spoken at the time of marriage or thread ceremony) of Ashtavinayaka is sang on holy occasions.
The sequence of Ashtavinayaka pilgrimage according to the stotra (poetic line) mentioned in puran as is as follows:
| No | Name | Place | District |
| 1 | Moreshvar, Mayureshvar | Morgaon | Pune |
| 2 | Siddhivinayak ( Gajamukh ) | Siddhatek | Ahmadnagar |
| 3 | Ballaleshvar | Pali | Raygad |
| 4 | Varadvinayak | Mahad | Raygad |
| 5 | Chintamani | Theur | Pune |
| 6 | Girijatmaj | Lenyadri | Pune |
| 7 | Vighneshvar | Ojhar | Pune |
| 8 | Mahaganapati | Ranjangaon | Pune |
Twenty-one seats according to the Purans
| No. | Name | Place | District/State |
| 1 | Moreshvar, Mayureshvar | Morgaon | Pune |
| 2 | Chintamani | Theur | Pune |
| 3 | Ganapati | Ranjangaon | Pune |
| 4 | Girijatmaj | Lenyadri | Pune |
| 5 | Ballaleshvar | Pali | Raygad |
| 6 | Gajamukh | Siddhatek | Ahmadnagar |
| 7 | Chintamani | Kalamb | Yavatmal |
| 8 | Sharmavighnesh | Adasa | Nagpur |
| 9 | Vidnyanganesh | Rakshasbhuvan | Jalna |
| 10 | Mahaganapati | Rajur | Jalna |
| 11 | Bhalchandra | Gangamasale | Parbhani |
| 12 | Lakshavinayak | Verul (Ellora) | Aurangabad |
| 13 | Pravalganesh | Padmalay | Jalgaon |
| 14 | Ahundivinayak | Kashi | Banaras |
| 15 | Omkar | Prayag | Alahabad |
| 16 | Bhrushundiganesh | Namalgaon | Bid |
| 17 | Vighnaraj | Vijaypur | Andhra Pradesh |
| 18 | Vinayak | Kashyapashram | Near Kashi |
| 19 | Mangalmurti | Ganeshpur | Bangal |
| 20 | Shvetvighneshvar | Near Kumbhakonam | Tamilnadu |
| 21 | Mangalmurti | Pariner | Near Ujjain |
Twelve famous Ganapati idols in India
| No. | Name | Place |
| 1 | Vakratunda | Madras |
| 2 | Ekadanta | Bangal |
| 3 | Krushnapingaksha | Madras |
| 4 | Gajavaktra | Orisa |
| 5 | Lambodar | Ganapatipule, Maharashtra |
| 6 | Vikat | Himachal Pradesh |
| 7 | Vighnarajend | Near Kurukshetra, |
| 8 | Dhumravarna | Kerala |
| 9 | Bhalachandra | Near Rameshvar |
| 10 | Vinayak | Kashi, Banaras |
| 11 | Mahaganapati | Mahabaleshvar, Maharashtra, Gokarna |
| 12 | Shrigajanan | Himalaya |
Mahaganapati
Ganapati along with Ruddhi-Siddhi [Divine Energy (Shakti)]. 'The Ganesh created by deity Parvati is an incarnation of Mahaganapati. She sculpted a form out of mud and invoked Ganapati into it. Before the creation of the universe, since The Supreme God (Mahat) principle existed in an unmanifest and eternal form, it is called Mahaganapati. When Mahaganapati is worshipped for attainment of the Final Liberation (Moksha), it is customary to choose a Ganapati idol with the trunk curved towards the right. But in such circumstances, as far as possible the idol is made of earth. Rarely does one comes across gold and silver Ganapati idols with the trunk curved towards the right'.
'It is believed that every male deity has a specific Energy (Shakti), for example Brahma - Bharati, Vishnu - Lakshmi, Shiva - Parvati. Thus it is not surprising that devotees of Ganapati believe in one Energy of Ganapati in the Parabrahman form. There is a sculpture which portrays Ganapati embracing His Energy, seated on His lap. Even today one can see such paintings. So also, sculptures with "Siddhi" and "Buddhi", His two consorts seated on either side of Him are also available. In the science of Tantra, Ganapati along with His Energy is referred to as "Mahaganapati".'
Famous Ganesha Temples and Idols in India
Andhra Pradesh
Various Lord Ganesha Temples are situated in Bhadrachalam, Vijayawada, Kalahasti etc.
Bihar
Lord Ganesha Temples are situated in Rajgriha, Mountain Mandar, Ramgad etc.
Gujarat
Bhadraganesh Temple of Ahmedabad is from Peshwa time. Siddhanath temple of Baroda & Revati Ganesh temple on Girnar mountain are very famous.
Sisodra Village of Navsari district has a Banyan tree with Ganesh idol in it. It is said that this Ganesh idol appeared in this banyan tree nearly four hundred years ago.
Durgakut Ganesh near Sorati Somnath.
Himachal Pradesh
Shadbhuj Ganesh : Baijanath, Dist:Kangada : Great Saint Dnyaneshwar while describing Shri Ganesh in his book Dnyaneshwari has given names of the weapons in the six hands of Shri Ganesh. The same weapons are found in the hands of this Shadbhuj (six hands) Shri Ganesh.
Ice idol of Bal Ganesh in Amarnath Gumpha.
Shri Ganesh in Ganesh Gumpha where Ganesh had pendown the Mahabharat.
Kerala
King Dharmagupta of Trigart consecrated Ganesh idol in Shreemadnant temple. King of Mysore Tipu Sultan came her to destroy the temple. His mind was changed after dinking the water from the well in the temple. Tipu Sultan then gave gifts & annuities to temple.
Shree Ganesh of Madhupur : he likes famous sweet Udupa.
Karnataka
Vighnantak Vinayak, Hampi : Idol is not elephant headed instead it is man headed. Vighnantak Vinayak killed demon Gajmumukhasur.
Kaudinya Mahaganapti of Kurdamale in Kolar district : Idol of Mahaganapati is 9 feet high & is made of green marble.
Gokarna Mahabaleshwar : Here Shree Ganesh is in the guise of young Brahmin with two hands. This Ganesh is Worshipped before worshiping gokarna Mahabaleshwar. This Ganesh in the guise of young Brahmin saved Lord Shankaras Lingam from the hands of demon Ravana. Ravana had hited this Ganesha & the mark is till present on the idol.
Maharashtra
Aawas (12 kms d'Alibaug) : Shri Vakratunda temple. King Abhijeet and his queen performed strong penance of Lord Kanakeshwar. They learnt Vakratund Mantra and on chanting the same for years they got a son. On their request, Shree Ganesh had stayed there for ever.
Mountain Kanakeshwar is at a distance of 5 kms toward east.
Adosha (Nagpur Area) : Swami Vighnesha temple
Anjarle (Tal. Dapoli, Dist. Ratnagiri) : le temple de Shree Siddhivinayaka est sur la montagne
Berola : Laksha Vinayaka temple
Chinchwad : Mangalmurti temple. Located in Pune Dt. Great hermit Moraya Gosavi found Ganesh mûti in Morgaon and consecrated the same at Chinchwad.
Ganapatiphule : This is very famous awakened and Swayambhu place near sea shore. It is said that Sage Parashuram had omen and he consecrated Ganesh idol on hill top. The hill is itself in Ganesh form. As such if you have to take holy rounds (pradakshina) of the temple, you have to go round the hill itself
Hedvi, Tal. Guhagar : Dashabhuja Laxmi Ganesh temple. It is near to Chiplun and Guhagar in the Dist. Ratnagiri. Magh Ganesh Jayanti is celebrated on grand scale.
Kadav : Digambar Siddhivinayak temple. In Taluka Karjat of Raigad district - 9 kms from Karjat. Sage Kanva consecrated this idol. Since the idol is without cloths, it is call a Digamber Ganesh.
Kalamba : Cintamani Ganesha temple
Kananesvara : Rama Siddha Vinayaka temple
Kasva : Jayate Ganesha temple
Kelzar (24 kms from Vardha) : Ekchakra Ganesh temple. Before killing demon Bakasur, Pandav prince Bhima had worshipped Shri Ganesh in city Ekchakra. Ekchakra is presently called as Kelzar.
Marathwada (36 miles from Jalana) : Rakshas Bhavan. Shree Vidnyan Ganesh temple. Situated on the banks of river Godavari. Shree Dattatreya propitated Vidnyan Ganesh and consecrated the mûrti.
Nagajhari River : Trishunda temple
Namalgaon : Amalashramakshetra temple (famous for prayers)
Nanded : Chitrakuta Ganesha temple
Naded : Balgir Maharajs math, Naded. Shri Ganapati fulfills the vows
Nagpur (Sirtabardi) : Shree Ganapati temple. Idol with trunk turned to its right is very strict and spiritually awakened. It has been consecrated by Bhosale Sardar of Nagpur.
Nandgaon (Dist. Raigad) : Shri Siddhivinayaka temple
Nasik : Higalyaka Ganapati temple
Nasik : Shree Modakeshwar temple. Blasted by a curse of Lord Shiva, Kamdeva attained his previous form by worshipping Shree Ganesh. It is also popular by name Kamvarad Mohotkat. Idol is in the form of Modak. Moda means happiness, one who gives happiness is Modakeshwar.
Padmalaya : Pravalakshetra temple with two Ganesha murtis
Pune : Dagduseth Halwai Ganapati temple. The Dagduseth Halwai Ganpati temple is being re-built on a large scale and the work for the same has already begun. The picture shows the Idol placed in the new location. We will bring you the pictures of the proposed model of the new temple and the progress on the same.
Pune : Kasaba Ganapati temple. It is tutelar God of Pune. Rajmata Jijabai consecrated the idol. In weddings ceremony, first invitation is give to this Ganesh.
Pune : Siddhivinayak temple. The Lake Ganapati temple is located in the middle of the lake situated in garden Saras. Idol with trunk turned to its right was consecrated in 1774 by Shreemant Sawai Madhavrao Peshwe. Siddhivinayak fulfills the vows.
Rajur : Rajasadanakshetra temple
Rajpur (Region of Aurangabad) : Rajur Ganapati temple. After killing demon king Sindurasur, Vinayak told Ganesh Geeta to king Varenya at Rajpur. It is treated as one peetha out of three and half Ganesh Peethas. Idol is swayambhu.
Rakshasabhuvan : Vijna Ganesha temple
Sailu : Bhalchandra Ganesh Kshetra temple. The Sailu station is at 26 Miles away from Parbhani and the temple is at nearly 15 miles away from Sailu, in the midst of river Godavari.
Sangli (Krishna River) : a svayambhu Ganesha installed over a Sivalinga. Located on the banks of river Krishna, this is most awakened and beautiful temple in Sangli. It is a tutelar deity of Sangli.
Titwala : Shri Mahaganapati temple. By propitating Ganesh Idol, consecrated by sage Kanva, Devi Shakuntala and king Dushyant came together and finally married after a long period of disagreement. Idol from Mahabharat period being vanished, Ramchandra Mehendale offered the present idol and the Madhavrao Peshwe consecrated it. On say that if Mahaganapati is worshipped regularly, desired marriages can be obtained. Moreover, if Mahaganapati is propitiated properly, conflicts between husband and wife come to end. Those who desires to have son, will get son. In Mahaganapatis temple, there is sanctum of Lord Shivashankar towards right. In the right hand corner of the sanctum, padukas of great Ganesh devotees are consecrated. There is a temple of Vithoba - Rukmini nearby. One can also visit places like satis memorial, Maharajs Samadhi, Shiva temple in Vasundry village
Thorle : (elder) Chintamanrao Patwardhan consecrated the idol in 1843
Verul (Ellora) : Lakshvinayaka Kshetra temple. The ancient name of the place is Ellapur. Kumar Kartikeya consecrated Vinayaka here, before starting war with demon King Tarkasura.
Yavatmal : Shree Chintamani temple. Located in the Kalamb Dist. this temple is one of the 21 famous Ganesh Kshetras. Considered as a spiritually awakened place
Greater Mumbai
Shri Siddhivinayak, Prabhadevi temple. The most important Ganesh temple in Mumbay. Devotees come in big numbers on every Tuesday and on Chaturthi. Original small temple is now renovated
Siddhi Vinayaka temple, Jetha Kapad Mkt
Shri Ganapati temple, Vazira Naka. Idol is unborn (swayambhu) spiritually awakened place
Udyan Ganapati temple, Shivaji Park
Ganapati temple. This temple has celebrated its centenary year in 1996.
Madhya Pradesh
Bade Ganesh in Indore : Ganesh idol is 12 feet high.
Shree Chintamani of Ujjain.
Dwibhuj Siddhivinayak of Amarkantak.
Orissa
Ajanatha Ganesh in Jagannatha Temple of Puri.
Ganesh caves in Ganesh gumpha of Khandagiri.
Rajasthan
Bali Ganapati : Consecrated by king Bali.
On the banks of river Tapi, Lord Shriram had consecrated Ramaji Ganesh before killing demon Tratika.
Tamilnadu
Kurumbithar Vinayak of Kumbhakonam : This Vinayak is also called as Sudha Ganesh. At the time of Amrut Manthan when Amrut (heavenly necter) was not coming out of the sea, Gods consecrated Ganesh idol here at Kumbhakonam & worshipped him & prayed for their success. Ganesh was pleased & gods got the Amrut from the sea.
Uttar Pradesh
Omkar Ganesh (Prayag).
Dhundiraj Ganesh in Kashi : This Ganesh is in the temple of Kashivishveshwar.
West Bengal
Ashtabhuja Ganesh in village Vadanagar on the banks of river Hubli.